The Ministry of Defence has issued a Prior Information Notice seeking industry input on a forward area passive sensor for the Land Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) programme, the UK Defence Journal understands.
The notice explained: “The Land GBAD Programme was established in response to Army requirement for a fully integrated Air Defence system of systems. This will be an enduring capability that will be delivered through incremental capability uplifts over the next 10 years.”
The MOD set out the single statement of user need (SSUN): “Land-GBAD must provide sufficient, effective capability to warn, inform, deter and defeat selected air threats (including aircraft, missiles, munitions, and UAS), in order to prevent adversary interference from the air inhibiting Joint Force freedom of manoeuvre. Land-GBAD will provide lethal and non-lethal defeat mechanisms and minimise the risk it presents to friendly and neutral air users. It will be deployable on multi-domain operations, integrated, scalable up to divisional level, and in joint and multi-national operations to Protect, Engage, Constrain and Fight.”
On the specific requirement, the notice stated: “It has been identified through multiple studies and modelling scenarios that there is a requirement for a Passive Sensor within the Land GBAD network, specifically in the SHORAD area. The intention is that this passive sensor serves to provide early warning of threats, permitting the active sensor to remain inoperative until a threat is detected, as per NATO doctrine.”
The MOD clarified that this stage is about information gathering: “The purpose of this Preliminary Market Engagement is for the Authority to gather information for the approach and procurement strategy for the Forward Area Passive Sensor. The Preliminary Market Engagement Notice (PMEN) does not formally signify the beginning of a procurement process and does not constitute commitment to undertake a procurement exercise until the Tender Notice is issued.”
The notice added that participation would not affect eligibility in later competitions: “The team will manage the process in an open and transparent manner, ensuring that participation or non-participation in the Preliminary Market Engagement will not give advantages or disadvantages to any supplier, nor impact their eligibility for future procurement processes.”
Wow, the UK has suddenly woken up to the realisation we have virtually no air defence apart from RAF jets and a few mouldy old Rapier units. Suddenly, we are procuring brand new Sky Sabre launch platforms and a totally new Nightfall. The current onslaught by the Russians on Ukraine is a lesson for all free nations. I just hope these new systems can be up and running in a timely manner, as we need them desperately and to function from the get-go!
I don’t even think any of the SkySabre are for “GBAD” but more for the Army? And I don’t think there are any Rapier around either! It’s the elephant in the room! Even at the more base level equipment like mobile shorad like the Boxer based Skyranger 30mm with Stinger. Germany is purchasing over 500 of these. Is anyone in the MOD asking why….doesn’t the UK buy a few with Starstreak/LMM?
I was being deliberately bolshy with my words just to get out my frustrations. However, Quentin, I know SkySabre is the Army’s baby, but the current lack of air defence means we would have to use what we have, regardless of who operates it. The current buildup of new military equipment across Europe is almost getting out of control, as new technology is rapidly moving the goalposts, and cost models are cast aside for new ones. Sadly, even though the UK published a new defence plan, nothing seems to be moving for the army apart from the modest order books for Boxer and Ajax (I won’t even start about CH3), yet Russia is planning 1500 MBT per annum!
Being bolshy is okay by me! I think many here feel the same. A lot of us want more and much better for Britain. There’s the feeling of falling short in many areas. Too much preoccupation with high tech toys and not enough of fundamentals and mass of sea/air/land platforms, plus the personnel issues and having a right mix of all this. It must be made more difficult with all the different opinions on it, but the people at the top should be channelling all this into the right direction. This is no time dilly dally. Especially as other countries seem to be getting on with it.
I’m no strategic analyst but Ukraine needs more support, preferably not publicised, at this time to seriously push Russian forces back and out of its own territory and not just fire things over the fence. I feel a victory of sorts will temper Russia for while and give us a bit of breathing space to build up and brace for whatever is next and wherever is next. Back to my couch.
Ukraines biggest problem is manpower, the only way I can see to resolve that is if the European countries send the men of military age back to Ukraine.
Give them a choice :-
1. Return to Ukraine voluntarily to enlist or be forcibly deported !
2. Leave their family safe in the host country, meanwhile following a medical enlist in the Ukrainian Army but be trained and equipped by the host country also to support the families they get paid the host countries service pay rates (including pensions etc).
We get some of the Ukrainian walking wounded but experienced soldiers / NCOs etc over to fine tune their training.
I rather suspect option 2 would be a hell of a way of providing Ukraine with fully formed combat ready units.
Unfortunately we are very nice 🤷🏼♂️
It wasn’t a defence plan as such but a Defence Review with 62 wordy recommendations as to what should be done. The equipment announcements since then have only been the remaining carry overs from the previous Equipment plan.
The meat on the bone will be in the newly renamed Defence Investment Plan which is due in the Autumn sometime (Autumn starts on Monday.
That’s the theory but it all gets a bit muddy after that the Comprehensive Spending Review was delivered on June 11th with an aim to get Defence spending up to 2.5% in this Parliament, and that would have driven the DIP funding (ie not a lot).
Then that got Trumped on 24/25 June at the NATO conference where all the NATO leaders (except Spain) agreed to 3.5% + 1.5%, so it will be really interesting to see the DIP when it is delivered.
Do they stump up the extra cash as promised with a targeted incremental uplift in spending or try to fudge it with a Hockey Stick funding plan and hope no one notices 🤷🏼♂️
The Autumn budget will be delivered some time after 10th November so if I were to make a guess DIP will be in December 🤞🏻 One thing is for sure if UK MOD is to meet the NATO obligation it’s going to either be cuts elsewhere and Taxes or both ! The alternative is Trump letting rip, and Starmer kissing his job goodbye.
Rodney, getting a bit pedantic as I talk in layman’s terms, a plan or defence review, they all have the same outcome. The moment there is a whiff of a peace agreement, there will be a Europe-wide cooling on defence spending. Like the runt of the litter, the MOD is the one department the Treasury smacks the hardest, probably referring to it as little men running around in tanks. If you have ever been in the company of members of the Treasury, you will know that being snide is the staple diet of their vocabulary and attitude. This so-called Defence Investment Plan sounds to me like another delaying tactic (yes, I know now who’s being snide). I just want to see a meaningful increase in the British Army’s kit from Ajax to MBTs that goes some way to matching Russia. The current crown goes to Poland and Germany, and before you tell me they are landlocked, it makes not a bit of difference to the British commitment, which is near 90% on foreign soil.
Quentin, SkySabre provides area GBAD for deployed army. Starstreak is short range point defence GBAD – a different thing.
Evening Graham. Good to hear from you. Yes I am aware of the difference but find the support for one and the lack of the other in their different roles quite telling. CAMM and especially CAMM-MR could be part of “non Army” GBAD for bases, ports, infrastructure and it’s nowhere to be seen. SAMP/T Aster too. Even a UK build of Patriot. Hopefully there really are things going on in the background and being brought forward into actuality sooner than talking 2030s.
Maurice, we don’t have Rapier – that went out of srvice about 3 years ago – and it was never for UK homeland defence. This article is not about GBAD for the UK homeland. It is for the deployed army.
” It will be deployable on multi-domain operations, integrated, scalable up to divisional level, and in joint and multi-national operations…”
I’m sure I read of a system the army already bought some time ago for passive warning re SHORAD, it worked alongside Rapier FSC i think?
Cannot think of its name.
So this isn’t a new capability?
Tech has moved on a lot.
The quality of sensors and processing is orders of magnitude better than it was decades ago.
There is also the possibility of the Ukrainian-type acoustic array of sensors, which has been discussed before on the UKDJ Forum.
ADAD
Air Defence Alerting Device
It is /was an IR based rotating sensor used with Starstreak.
Cheers
Ahhh, of course.
Thank you Ian.
👍😎
Defence on the cheap, sounds good but the reality is it will probably never happen. Or if it did, it would not be what is required but what we can afford.
Baz, why do you say that? MoD never buys anything that is cheap.
Graham, The MOD never spends money wisely,look at the number of projects that are over budget and never on time. You ask the Military what they want they will give you an honest answer, ask the powers to be they will give you a different answer. I spent over 30 years in the British military in logistics and working with procurement teams and delivery teams, trust me money is wasted!
I’m not 100% that is true.
The military will tell you what they want.
We then tried to turn that idea into a deliverable idea.
That deliverable idea was either
– gold plated out of sight
– salami sliced to oblivion
It was often a very odd experience watching that process.
I need help understanding this initiative. From the diagram it looks like a fleet of UAVs with microphones or on station batch 3 Rivers with binoculars.
The diagram doesn’t come from the PIN. It comes from UKDJ’s need to have a consistent format in their articles. Gotta read the words, Paul.
Yeh, did that. But have to say the ‘picket’ concept would provide more warning, no?
Maybe so when the Army’s in Catterick. Not so much if it’s in Estonia or Ukraine. Even if the Turks let us through Istanbul, I don’t think the Russians would let us get those B3 Rivers up the Don. Not even if we ditched the binoculars. Maybe we could airdrop some RIBs into Lake Ladoga.
If we were talking homeland defence, how many UAVs would we need off the North and East coasts to act as pickets? Probably a lot. Putting bigger radars on the ground feels like the safer move.
“in order to prevent adversary interference from the air inhibiting Joint Force freedom of manoeuvre.”
Does this means we don’t care about civilians? Is this is the military defending the military?
“It will be deployable on multi-domain operations, integrated, scalable up to divisional level, and in joint and multi-national operations to Protect, Engage, Constrain and Fight.”
This wording is another indicator that the pretty diagram at the top of the article may be BS. This is probably about forward deployments and not about homeland defence at all.
Jon, this system is for the military to protect military on deployed operations. It is not for the Air Defence of the UK Homeland.
I think he is just saying there’s an emphasis on the Army protecting itself and what about the rest of country and its people? He’s right. That’s what a lot of us here have been complaining about for ages. If the continent is getting its Shorad and GBAD act together what’s the UK doing? On a very basic level you fundamentally have to be able to defend your own warfighting ability.
Yes. That’s what I got to. Everyone else (and the header picture) seemed to be talking about it being UK homeland defence, and I was pointing out why I thought it wasn’t, and am in complete agreement with you.
You are right. They are probably looking at something like the sort of Pirate system fitted to Typhoon – passive detection and imaging with longer range than CAMM or ER-CAMM in Sky Sabre or even its Giraff.radars. No point in alerting the incoming missile sooner than you have to. A point system for strategic targets. And one that can be deployed on operations.
Can’t get more passive than a person with a pair of binoculars. And the budget getting squeezed, so we could end up being their option. lol